KANSAS CITY, Missouri
Raiders Win Rivalry Game
KC: Elvis Grbac 23-of-40, 282 Yds, 2 TDs
-
Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon (12) fights for yardage against the Chiefs. (AP)
The rookie kicker, just 6-for-11 on field goals coming into the game and feeling the heat, nailed a 43-yarder with 25 seconds left Sunday, lifting the Raiders past Kansas City 20-17.
Before hitting a 47-yarder to slice Kansas City's lead to 17-10 five minutes into the third quarter, Janikowski was 0-for-2 for the game and 0-for-6 from beyond the 40.
The week before, the kicker on last season's national championship team at Florida State missed a potential game-winner from 35 yards out at San Francisco.
Now everything's right again, he declared.
"The media was putting a lot of pressure on me. I needed to get off by myself and figure out what I was doing wrong," he said. "I figured it out. I was kicking on the snap. That's why I was missing."
|
Oakland coach Jon Gruden said an "R-rated" conversation with his troubled young kicker last week may also have had something to do with his improvement.
"We basically cleared the air and I let him know that we're going to keep sending him out there," Gruden said. "I think he's going to be a great kicker for a long time."
Former Chiefs QB Rich Gannon drove the Raiders 64 yards in eight plays to set up Janikowski, who also missed a 59-yarder as time ran out in the first half.
"Rich Gannon made some plays out there," Chiefs center Tim Grunhard said. "He's running sideways and throwing the ball 50 yards. He really amazes me sometimes."
The Raiders tied it 17-all with a long drive aided by a gambling fourth-down pass by Gannon.
On fourth-and-1 from the Kansas City 35 and the Chiefs all xpecting a run, Gannon scrambled and hit Tim Brown for 32 yards to the 3. After a false-start penalty, Tyrone Wheatley caught Gannon's 7-yard pass in the end zone with 9:25 left, capping an 80-yard drive that took more than eight minutes.
"I thought we had him sacked, and then he throws up a duck that Tim Brown makes a great play on," Chiefs linebacker Donnie Edwards said.
"That's what Rich does. He's able to go out there and make something out of nothing."
Earlier in the fourth quarter, the Chiefs appeared to be driving for the go-ahead score when rookie wide receiver Sylvester Morris took a pass from Elvis Grbac and lost the ball at almost the same instant his knee hit the ground. The ball was recovered by Charles Woodson on the Oakland 12 with 7:09 left.
The Chiefs' challenge of a fumble was not upheld, triggering thunderous booing from the sellout crowd who watched the replay of the extremely close play on the video board.
"I was totally surprised when they said it was a fumble," Morris said. "I felt my knee touch (the ground). Nothing I can do about it."
Tight end Tony Gonzalez helped the Chiefs take the early lead with several leaping catches and totaled seven receptions for 100 yards.
Gonzalez made his first leaping catch of the game on an 11-yard gainer to get the Chiefs started on their 17-point third quarter.
Todd Peterson, signed at mid-week to replace Pete Stoyanovich, missed a 44-yard attempt in the first quarter but connected from 27 yards with 6:38 left in the half, making it 7-3.
John Browning and Dan Williams combined to sack Gannon a few minutes later, and the Chiefs took over at midfield. In the ensuing five-play, 50-yard drive, Gonzalez had three catches for 46 yards, including a 14-yarder to put the Chiefs on top 10-7.
Late in the half, Grbac hit Derrick Alexander on consecutive plays for 17- and 16-yard gains. On third-and-10 from the 15, Gonzalez suckered the defense to follow him over the middle, leaving Tony Richardson all alone for the pass hat gave the Chiefs a 17-7 halftime lead.
Gannon led a 14-play, 80-yard march on Oakland's first possession, capped by his 4-yard TD pass to Napoleon Kauffman.
Notes
©2000 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
More From Sports
Best-selling author Mitch Albom on his first nonfiction work since "Tuesdays with Morrie."
